Three Tips to Help You Get a Good Raise

For most of us, asking for a raise isn't an easy thing to do.  And getting turned down just once makes some a little reluctant to ask again.  A recent study found that only 44% of women and 48% of men have ever asked for a raise.But if you expect to get one, you pretty much have to ask.  And 85% of the people who did, ended up getting one.

Step one is finding the guts to ask for one.  And once you've done that, here are three tricks from Business Insider that can help you out.

1.  YOU need to make the first offer.  That way you give your boss somewhere to work down from.  If you let THEM offer a certain amount, that's what you'll get.  It's pretty tough to negotiate UP.

2.  Don't use round numbers.  For example, instead of saying you want to make $65,000 a year, say 65,600.  And justify the weird number however you want to.  Maybe it's exactly a 15% raise or something.

A study last year found that if you use a round number like $65,000, there's a good chance they'll cut it way down to another round number, like $60,000.  But if you say a weird number like 65,600, they won't cut as much, and might counteroffer with 65,000.

3.  Ask for a raise DURING a big project, not after it's done.  A study in 2011 found that managers actually value their employees more DURING a project than after it's finished.  Even if you did a really good job on it.

Good luck, my friend!